The Prettiest Thing
The Handsome Band Lyrics

The Handsome Band's song The Prettiest Thing is a beautiful and poetic reflection on the idea of beauty and the power of memories. The lyrics of the song seem to be about the singer's struggle with feeling disconnected from the beauty they see around them. The opening line, "The prettiest thing I ever did see," sets the tone for the song and immediately draws the listener in. The singer's description of lightning moving through the dark at a million miles an hour captures the awe-inspiring and fleeting aspect of beauty. The imagery of the lightning gives the impression that beauty can be something magical and powerful, but also elusive.

The singer then contrasts this majestic image of lightning with the feeling that they are disconnected from the beauty they see. This is conveyed through the line, "Like a picture hanging up on someone else's wall." This line creates a sense of distance and detachment from the beauty and suggests that the singer is struggling to connect with it. The next line, "Lately I just haven't been myself at all," further reinforces this idea by implying that they are not in a good mental state.

Despite this disconnect, the singer finds comfort in memories of the past. The second verse of the song describes a memory of something that is not conventionally pretty, but is still beautiful to the singer. The line, "The prettiest thing I ever did see was dusty as the handle on the door," suggests that beauty can be found in unexpected places, and that memories can be a source of comfort and beauty in difficult times.

Overall, The Prettiest Thing is a song about the power of beauty and memories to inspire, console, and uplift us.